Fu Chunhong had meant well, but she didn’t expect that a single remark would anger He Xiufang.
He Xiufang planted her hands on her hips, her face turning cold on the spot.
“What money? All these years, how many cents has Gu Yanzhou even sent back home? These are three children—don’t they need food? Doesn’t water cost money? I work from dawn till dusk—who do you think I’m doing it for? Anyone who didn’t know better would think I’ve been pocketing his money!”
As she spoke, her tone shifted, and she let out a cold laugh.
“Sister-in-law, since you’re so kind-hearted, why don’t you take care of these three kids? Let’s split the family today. From now on, whether they live or die has nothing to do with me. And if they ever make something of themselves in the future, I won’t come knocking to share in any of it.”
Her words truly frightened Fu Chunhong.
Her husband worked away from home year-round, and the money he sent back had to be stretched to the limit. She also had a baby son to feed, and life was already tight.
If the family split and she had to raise four children on her own, she wouldn’t survive.
Looking embarrassed, Fu Chunhong forced a smile and apologized, “I was just speaking casually. Sister-in-law, you can decide for yourself.”
Jiang Yunshu took a deep breath, feeling that arguing with someone like this was a waste of time. She hadn’t intended to ask for the medical fees back anyway, so she simply turned and left, out of sight and out of mind.
Only after Jiang Yunshu left did He Xiufang lower her arms.
Still fuming, she jabbed Gu Zhiming in the head. “You’re just like your short-lived brother—useless. Sooner or later, these three kids will eat you into extinction!”
“I think you should just send them away. The boys could fetch a good price—later on, it might even help Xinxin get a wife. At least they’d be of some use.”
Gu Zhiming looked troubled. “What are you saying? Buying and selling children is illegal now. Don’t let anyone hear that—no matter how many mouths you have, you won’t be able to explain yourself.”
At that moment, Gu Zhiming’s mother, Lu Huian, heard the commotion and came out, one hand supporting herself against the door.
Cough, cough… “Eldest… the children are outside…”
Before she could finish, He Xiufang cut her off impatiently.
“Oh, stop causing trouble. Look at how badly you’re coughing. Do you want to infect Xinxin? Your illness can’t be cured—don’t pass it on to us, or life will become even harder!”
She didn’t even let Lu Huian finish speaking. She shut the door firmly and locked it.
Cough, cough…
Pushed aside, Lu Huian fell to the ground, coughing violently, her chest heaving as if she might cough her lungs out.
Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at the sliver of light coming through the crack of the door. She slapped herself twice.
“I… I’m such a useless old thing.”
She coughed until she could barely breathe, feeling the weight of age. If she had known, she wouldn’t have come to rely on her eldest son. At least then the children wouldn’t have suffered.
Now the children had to suffer along with her. She might as well die and be done with it.
“What are you doing? Mom’s so old and in poor health—keeping her shut inside all the time will only make things worse.”
Gu Zhiming hesitated as he moved to open the door, but a single glare from He Xiufang stopped him.
“You make it sound like I’m heartless. Don’t you know what illness your mother has? What if she infects Xinxin? That’s life-threatening! You only care about that old woman—when have you ever put your son first?”
After hearing that, Gu Zhiming didn’t open the door.
There were many children in the household—if they really got infected, it would be serious. Besides, he only had one son. If anything happened to him, He Xiufang would never let it go.
“Tuberculosis-ridden ghost,” He Xiufang muttered. “Who knows where she picked up that bad luck? Coughing all day long—more annoying than the dogs in the yard. My son can’t even sleep at night because of her!”
Fu Chunhong tried to smooth things over, but He Xiufang immediately shut her down.
“Don’t act like a good person here. Your husband’s never home—you’ve got it easy. All this mess in the family falls on us.”
Little Shitou clung tightly to his mother’s leg, too scared to speak.
“Enough,” Gu Zhiming said, trying to mediate. “No matter what, my mother raised the three of us. If you don’t want her going out, fine—but at least watch your words.”
He Xiufang gave him some face and stopped arguing, but when her gaze fell on Xiao Bao—thin and sickly like the old lady—her irritation flared again.
She grabbed a thin rattan switch from the kang inside.
“You little money-wasting brat! Let’s see if you dare spend money recklessly again! No fortune to your name, yet full of rich people’s illnesses. This whole family will be dragged down by you sooner or later!”
Xiao Bao trembled, shakily rolling up his sleeves to reveal his arms.
On his thin limbs were already several bruises—purple and blue marks covering almost the entire arm.
Tears filled his eyes, but he didn’t dare cry out loud. His body shook as he let out soft, suppressed sobs.
Seeing this, Da Bao rushed over and tightly hugged Xiao Bao, shielding him behind his back.
“Auntie, it’s my fault. I didn’t take good care of my younger siblings, and that’s why my brother got sick. If you want to hit someone, hit me instead.”
If he hadn’t been careless, his brother wouldn’t have been bullied, wouldn’t have fallen into the pond, and wouldn’t have gotten sick.
Er Bao also rushed over, hugging Xiao Bao from behind.
The two of them surrounded him, fear in Er Bao’s eyes—but still determined to protect their brother.
That only made He Xiufang angrier.
“A bunch of ungrateful little wretches! You think huddling together means I won’t hit you? Today I’ll show you who runs this household!”
At such a young age, they were already banding together against her—what would they become in the future?
Smack—
The thin rattan switch came down mercilessly, the sound of it striking flesh echoing in the air.
She was already furious at Jiang Yunshu, and now she struck even harder.
The switch lashed across Er Bao’s neck, quickly leaving a red, bleeding mark.
Tears streamed down Er Bao’s face from the pain, but he didn’t dare cry out loudly.
If the neighbors heard, their aunt would only beat them more fiercely.
Xiao Bao was tightly shielded and only took a few hits, but seeing Er Bao trembling in pain, tears streamed down his own face.
“I’m teaching you ungrateful little wolves a lesson! Outsiders might think I’m mistreating you. I feed you, clothe you, and you still want medical fees? Even heavenly immortals wouldn’t let you waste things like this!”
She raised the switch again. Da Bao quickly bent down, his small body covering both his siblings.
The blow landed squarely on his back.
Xiao Bao’s face turned pale, his eyes filled not only with fear but also a dull, stunned emptiness.
Watching the children huddled together crying in the courtyard, Fu Chunhong wanted to step in but was powerless. Little Shitou burst into loud sobs beside her.
She looked at the children with heartache, yet felt utterly helpless.
To put it bluntly, she herself was living under someone else’s roof—who knew when she might be thrown out? These children could only fend for themselves.
She picked up Little Shitou and went straight back to her room, crying silently.
Gu Zhiming wanted to intervene but didn’t dare be too forceful. He could only try to smooth things over awkwardly.
“That’s enough—let off some steam. They’re still young. If you really hurt them, it’ll cost more money later. And if the neighbors hear, it won’t look good.”
That only hit a nerve, and He Xiufang exploded.
“What’s wrong with that? If anyone can’t stand it, they can take these little wolves home! My family suddenly has all these extra mouths to feed—being able to raise them at all is already my generosity!”